Retour

Max Würden, born 1971, lives and works in Cologne. It's through different musical influences from indie rock to jazz that he found his way to electronic music. Since the early 2000s, he made a name for himself mainly thanks to compositions for film, soundtracks and music for radio plays. Those are arguably not the worst testimonials to qualify for discerning electronic composition. And with such a background, you don't have to be from Cologne to touch down at Kompakt at some point. Here, Max Würden presented a much-acclaimed label debut on the 2015 instalment of the prestigious Pop Ambient compilation series. And he'll also return for the 2016 instalment, as a solo artist and together with Thore Pfeiffer, another skilled Pop Ambient newcomer. Indeed, Max Würden has already an extensive back catalogue under his belt, as is evidenced by the fact that the album at hand "Retour" is based on 4-track tape recordings that he originally made in the 90s. Luckily, he kept these analog treasures hidden behind his studio sofa for all those years - to unearth them now, brush the dust off and rework them with modern means, making them sound like they were only 3 weeks old. The result is an album as if made from one piece that knows how to satisfy the aspiration and wit requested by this kind of music - and how to function as pure, immersive ambient listening experience.

"Max Würden - Retour" is the second release in the "Exponate" CD series curated by Wolfgang Voigt.